Information recording and reproducing apparatus which stores in a cassette memory management information for each of a plurality of record blocks linked by a pointer

摘要

An information recording/reproducing apparatus inculding a identifying means for identifying an loaded cassette as a first type tape cassette or a second type tape cassette, the loaded cassette having a tape-shaped record medium in a cartridge, the first type tape cassette having a non- volatile memory in the cartridge, the second type tape cassette not having a non-volatile memory in the cartridge, an initializing portion for initializing at least the non-volatile memory when the loaded cassette is the first type tape cassette and for initializing the tape- shaped record medium when the loaded cassette is the second tape cassette, and a recording/reproducing portion for recording/reproducing data to/from the tape-shaped record medium in the tape cassette, the tape- shaped record medium being initialized by the initializing portion.